The present study examined and contrasted beliefs and decision-making practices concerning the use of assistive technology (AT) with infants and toddlers. Participants were 424 multidisciplinary early intervention providers drawn from across the United States. A majority of professionals disagreed with proposed belief statements about AT with…

This article summarizes state and community policy activities during the first six months of 2007 and provides updates of the progress to serve infants, toddlers, and their families. The following states are included in the report: (1) Arkansas; (2) California; (3) Indiana; (4) Iowa; (5) Michigan; (6) Minnesota; (7) New York; (8) Ohio; (9)…

This article presents an analysis of the functional roles of "baby signing" in three hearing families in the United States, as well as a discussion of the social and ideological implications of the practice. Baby signing fits neatly into the parenting ideologies prevalent in the professional class in the United States that value early…

New federal legislation requires states to develop policies to refer children younger than age 3 with substantiated cases of abuse or neglect to state Early Intervention (EI) systems. This article presents state-by-state estimates of potential referral and enrollment increases for EI. Many states could experience a significant increase in…

"Part C Updates" is a compilation of information on various aspects of the Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities (Part C) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This is the tenth volume in a series of compilations, which included two editions of Part H Updates, the former name of the…

This article explains the creation of the "Growing and Learning with Young Native Children" curriculum toolkit. The curriculum toolkit was designed to give American Indian and Alaska Native early childhood educators who work in a variety of settings the framework for developing a research-based, developmentally appropriate, tribally…

This article summarizes state and community policy activities during the final six months of 2006 and provides updates of the progress to serve infants, toddlers, and their families. The following states are included in the report: (1) Rhode Island; (2) Virginia; (3) New York; (4) Pennsylvania; (5) Nebraska; (6) Ohio; (7) Washington; (8) Arizona;…

Periodically not having enough to eat, having a diet that is inadequate, and worrying about being able to afford the amount and type of food that a household needs are all markers of food insecurity. Food insecurity persists across many households with young children and may have negative consequences for the health and well-being of infants and…

Betsy Lozoff is among the world's leading experts on iron deficiency and its effects on infant brain development and behavior. Iron deficiency is the most common single nutrient disorder in the world, affecting more than half of the world's infants and young children. Research by Lozoff and others has shown that there are long-lasting…

Policymakers and early childhood experts have long recognized the important role early childhood programs play in meeting the needs of young vulnerable children. Federal programs such as Head Start and Parts 619 & C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are specifically designed to target young, vulnerable children and…

In the United States, legislation originally enacted in 1986 provided grants to states to build interagency service systems for children from birth to 3 years of age with developmental delays and disabilities. This legislation now renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was intended to facilitate the development of a…

What role do infant and toddler teachers play in transmitting their culture? Symbolic and cultural mediation approaches suggest children learn how to be members of their culture through social interactions and that this process begins at least by 9 months of age if not from birth. In previous cross-cultural studies of early childhood programs,…

Examines 2,000 Strange Situation classifications obtained in eight different countries. Differences and similarities between distributions in classifications of samples are investigated using correspondence analysis. Substantial intracultural differences are established; data also suggest a pattern of cross-cultural differences. (Author/RWB)

A total of 36 American and African mothers and their children in three age cohorts from 6 to 36 months of age interacted around age-appropriate teaching tasks. Major behavioral differences between cultural groups and tasks were demonstrated. (Author/RH)

For families with toddlers in a Mayan Indian village in Guatemala, a tribal village in India, and urban neighborhoods in the United States and Turkey, interviewed caregivers and observed caregivers helping toddlers operate novel objects and put on clothes. Found both similarities and variations among the four groups in caregivers' guidance of…